Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko is a family saga that takes place in Korea and Japan. It explores the dynamic between Koreans and Japanese in the early 20th century. I admit I knew little if anything about the life of Koreans who lived in Japan during this time. Asian history isn't something I've studied, and it certainly wasn't taught in any classes I took. So for me, this book was extremely educational. For that, I liked it very much.

However, the book is long. Way too long. I think the beginning of the book was excellent, and it could have ended there and I would have been happy. But the author continued through several generations of Koreans living in Japan, and so as the book progressed, new family members are added. And other abruptly die - often shockingly.

Overall, I think it's well written. However, the author often repeated herself which is one of my pet peeves. A woman would be described as extremely beautiful, and whenever that woman appeared afterwards, we would be reminded over and over of her beauty. Ok, already. I get it.  There was a strong emphasis on women's looks. The other thing that bothered me is that chapters would skip ahead two years or four years, and often this shift in time would occur just as something really surprising and interesting was happening. I found this frustrating.

I read another review that said the first part was great, the middle was ok, and the last part was disappointing. I agree. So I recommend it for the historical perspective and the educational value. And that's it. -June

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

It's New Year's Eve 1984 and Lillian Boxfish is going to dinner. She has lived the majority of her 80+ years in Manhattan, and although she sees negative changes in her city, she never tires of walking the streets of NYC. She decides to walk past some of her previous homes on her way to the restaurant. As she does, she jumps back in time and tells the stories from her past.

Lillian has led a fascinating life. She was successful in her career in the 30's and 40's when she worked in the advertising department at Macy's. She marries, has a son, and writes books of poetry. I won't give away any more.

Although this is fiction, it is based on a real woman who also wrote poetry and was in advertising at a time when it was dominated by men.

The book slowed at times but overall I enjoyed hearing about Lillian's life. The book is written in the first person, and since Lillian was a woman who loved writing and words, I found some of the word choices to be a bit stiff and pretentious. But maybe that was just Lillian's style. Anyway, I do recommend it as an interesting read - especially for someone who loves New York. - June